No, George Washington didn't have wooden teeth. Yes, he led the Siege of
Boston
[February 16, 2026]
By MICHAEL CASEY
BOSTON (AP) — More than a decade before he became the country's first
president, George Washington was leading a critical campaign in the
early days of the American Revolution. The Siege of Boston was his first
campaign as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and, in many
ways, set the stage for his military and political successes —
celebrated on Presidents Day.
Following the Battles of Lexington and Concord, militias had pinned down
the British in Boston in April 1775. The Continental Congress,
recognizing the need for a more organized military effort, selected
Washington to lead the newly-formed army.
What was the Siege of Boston
On this day 250 years ago, Washington would have been nearing the end of
an almost yearlong siege that bottled up as many as 11,000 British
troops and hundreds more loyalists. The British were occupying Boston at
the time, and the goal of the siege was to force them out.
A critical decision made by Washington was sending Henry Knox, a young
book seller, to Fort Ticonderoga in New York to retrieve dozens of
cannons. The cannons, transported hundreds of miles in the dead of
winter, were eventually used to fire on British positions. That
contributed to the decision by the British, facing dwindling supplies,
to abandon the city by boat on March 17, 1776.
Historians argue the British abandoning their position, celebrated in
Boston as Evacuation Day, rid the city of loyalists at a critical time,
denied the British access to an important port and gave patriots a huge
morale boost.
“The success of the Siege of Boston gave new life and momentum to the
Revolution,” Chris Beagan, the site manager at Longfellow House in
Cambridge, a National Historic Site that served as Washington's
headquarters during the American Revolution. “Had it failed, royal
control of New England would have continued, and the Continental Army
likely would have dissolved."
How the siege shaped Washington
The siege was also a critical test for Washington. A surveyor and
farmer, Washington had been out of the military for nearly 20 years
after commanding troops for the British during the French and Indian
War. His successful campaign ensured Washington remained the
commander-in-chief for the remainder of the revolution.
Doug Bradburn, president of George Washington’s Mount Vernon, said
Washington took the first steps to creating a geographically diverse
army that included militiamen from Massachusetts to Virginia and, by the
end of the war, a fighting force with significant Black and Native
American representation. It was the most integrated military until
President Harry S. Truman’s desegregated the armed forces in 1948, he
said.
Washington, a slave owner most of life who depended on hundreds of
slaves on his Mount Vernon estate, was initially opposed to admitting
formerly enslaved and free Black soldiers into the army. But short of
men, Washington came to realize “there are free Blacks who want to
enlist and he needs them to keep the British from breaking out” during
the siege, Bradburn said.
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A sign hangs outside the Longfellow House, which was George
Washington's headquarters during the Siege of Boston in the
mid-1770's, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, in Cambridge, Mass. (AP
Photo/Charles Krupa)
Ridding Boston of the British also turned Washington into one of the
country's most popular political figures.
“He comes to embody the cause in a time before you have a nation,
before you have a Declaration of Independence, before you’re really
sure what is the goal of this struggle,” Bradburn said. “He becomes
the face of the revolutionary movement.”
Commanding the military more than eight years also prepared
Washington for the presidency, Pulitzer Prize-winning military
historian Rick Atkinson said. “Perhaps most important, it gave him a
sense that Americans could and should be a single people, rather
than denizens of thirteen different entities.”
Myths of Washington
His rise to prominence also led to plenty of myths about Washington,
many which persist to this day.
One of the most popular is the cherry tree myth. It was invented by
one of Washington's first biographers, according to George
Washington’s Mount Vernon, who created the story after his death.
Supposedly, a 6-year-old Washington took an ax to a cherry tree and
admitted as much when caught by his father, famously saying “I
cannot tell a lie … I did cut it with my hatchet."
The second one is the wooden teeth myth. It was rumored that
Washington had wooden dentures and scholars, well into the 20th
century, were quoted as saying his false teeth were made from wood.
Not true. He never wore wooden dentures, instead using those with
ivory, gold and even human teeth.
More than a statesman
During his lifetime, Washington had a myriad of pursuits. He was
known as an innovative farmer, according to the George Washington’s
Mount Vernon, and an advocate for Western expansion, buying up to
50,000 acres of land in several Mid-Atlantic states. After returning
to Mount Vernon, he built a whiskey distillery that became one of
the largest in the country.
His connection to slavery was complicated. He advocated for ending
slavery, and his will called for freeing all the slaves he owned
after the death of his wife, Martha Washington. But he didn't own
all the slaves at Mount Vernon so he could't legally free all of
them.
Celebrating Presidents Day
For fans of George Washington, Presidents Day is their Super Bowl.
Originated to celebrate Washington's birthday, which falls on Feb.
22, the holiday has become associated with good deals at the mall.
Still, there are plenty of places celebrating all things Washington
on this day.
There will be a wreath-laying ceremony at Washington's tomb at Mount
Vernon, and there will be a Continental Army encampment. There will
be a parade honoring Washington in Alexandria, Virginia, and, in
Laredo, Texas, a monthlong celebration features a carnival,
pageants, an air show and jalapeno festival. |
